Vatra Dornei Băi Station

It looks more like a small castle than a railway station: a tall red roof, a pointed turret on the corner, timberwork painted red and white on the gables and, above the doors, a sign that simply says Vatra Dornei Băi. In front of it a paved square with taxis lined up; behind it the platform and the tracks.

Vatra Dornei Băi station dates from 1910 and is a historic monument, listed as SV-II-m-B-05659. Its address is 7 Dornelor street, a few minutes from the park and the casino — and that explains everything. It was not built for the town but for the resort: this is where people arriving to take the waters got off.

Why the town has two stations

Vatra Dornei lies on the Suceava–Vama–Floreni–Ilva Mică line and has two stations, both on the monuments list. The first, Vatra Dornei station, is from 1902 and stands at 17 Podu Verde street. The second is this one, built eight years later, closer to the springs and to the bath house.

The gap in age says something about the town. In 1902 the job was to connect it to the rest of the world; by 1910 the resort had grown enough to deserve a station of its own, a few steps from the park where people drew the water. These were the years after the building wave of 1896–1898, and shortly before the place was declared a town, on 17 December 1907.

What there is to see

The best part is the turreted corner, the one that gives it the air of a castle. The timberwork under the eaves, in red and white, is finely drawn and reads well from the square in front, especially in low light. From the platform you get the building from the other side, with the hill above the town behind it.

One thing the sources do not settle: who designed it. An architect's name circulates in summaries, but it is confirmed nowhere, so we do not print it here.

Getting there

From the centre it is a few minutes on foot, coming from the park. By car, you stop in the square in front, where the taxi rank is. If you arrive by train, you are of course already there.

What to know before you go

This is a working station, not a museum: the waiting room, the ticket office and the platform are all in use. You can photograph freely from the square and from the platform, but keep in mind it is a building people pass through — it is quietest between trains, not in the minutes before one.